Traditionally, European and American theatrical dance centered on ballet.
However, in the early twentieth century, it became fashionable in dance
circles to rebel against the strictures of tradition. The first two well-known
American dancers to break away from classical ballet were Isadora Duncan
and Ruth St. Denis. Although their styles differed, Duncan and St. Denis's
unconventional approaches opened the door to a new era in dance history:
the American modern dance movement of the 1920s. Leaders of this movement,
some of whom are listed below, based their works on personal experience,
using their bodies as instruments to express such emotions as passion, fear,
joy, or grief. Rather than adhering to a set form and a limited range of
gestures, as in ballet, the dancer created form as an outgrowth of his or
her own communicative impulses.

Over time, modern dance has reconciled itself to other traditional dance
forms. Perhaps nothing has helped to integrate various styles of dance more
than American musical comedy, which draws on ballet, modern, tap, and ethnic
folk dancing. In addition, with the advent of television and improved transportation
after World War II, audiences and dancers alike have benefited from a greater
exposure to dance styles from all over the world. Dancers today use a broader
range of techniques, styles, and source materials than ever before.

Martha Graham (1894-1991)

Martha Graham was one of the leading dancers and choreographers of the
American modern dance movement. In 1916 she began her training at the Denishawn
School in Los Angeles, under the tutelage of Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn.
There, Graham learned to discard the strict forms and gestures that had
traditionally governed choreography. By the time of her New York debut in
1926, she had developed a style that was both revolutionary and controversial.
Graham intended her dances to provide insight into the human condition,
as in Letter to the World (1940), inspired by Emily Dickinson's life
and poetry, or Appalachian Spring (1944), a celebration of America's
pioneer spirit. While early modern dance did not use characters or tell
stories, Graham had a theatrical bent that surfaced increasingly in her
later works. Her modern-dance ballets, beginning with Clytemnestra
in 1958, used the free-form techniques of modern dance to present classical
literary works. Included in Graham's legacy are several monumental dance
scores written for her by composers such as Samuel Barber, Paul Hindemith,
and Aaron Copland.

José Limón
(1908-1972)

By World War II, American dance had evolved in several directions. However,
the spirit of the early modern dance pioneers lived on in the work of José
Limón, whom many consider the greatest performer in the history of
modern dance. Limón was born in Mexico, in the state of Sinaloa.
His family, displaced by the Mexican Revolution, moved to the United States
when he was seven years old. As a young man, Limón enrolled in art
school in New York but later dropped out, complaining that he was not free
to develop his own style. After going to a dance concert with some friends,
Limón felt that he had finally found his calling, and he immediately
began to study dance with Charles Weidman and Doris Humphrey. From 1930
to 1940, Limón danced with their company in concert works and Broadway
shows, beginning with Irving Berlin's As Thousands Cheer in 1932.
During those years he also began to choreograph his own works. Many of Limón's
dances, such as Danzas Mexicanas (1939), had Mexican or Spanish themes.
After serving in World War II, Limón formed his own company and enjoyed
great success both in the United States and abroad. Today he is remembered
for his commanding stage presence and for the seemingly effortless use of
his body to communicate subtle ideas and emotions.

Katherine Dunham pioneered the use of folk and ethnic dance as a basis
for modern theatrical compositions. She built her distinguished career as
both a dancer and choreographer, and on her academic research into the role
of dance in African, Caribbean, and African American societies. Dunham pursued
her interest in the origins of black dance at the University of Chicago
where she earned a Ph.D. in anthropology. In 1935 she received her first
grant to study ethnic dance in Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad, and Haiti.
She especially loved Haiti and returned there many times. Participation
in the depression-era Federal Theatre Project in Chicago offered Dunham
an invaluable opportunity to experiment with her own folk ballets, such
as L'Ag'Ya (1938), a dramatized version of a fighting dance from
Martinique. Her company's New York debut in 1940 was an unqualified success,
and her compositions were recognized as the first uniquely African American
concert dance. Thereafter, Dunham enjoyed a long and varied career, choreographing
and starring in numerous concert, theater, and film works. In 1965-66 she
served as the technical cultural adviser for the First World Festival of
Negro Arts in Senegal. Upon her return, she settled in East St. Louis, where
she founded a combined cultural center, anthropological museum, and dance
studio. The center offered local residents a curriculum of dance, psychology,
anthropology, and languages. Dunham's legacy, however, is greater than any
one neighborhood or culture. In her own words, "I would feel I'd failed
miserably if I were doing dance confined to race, color, or creed. I don't
think that would be art, which has to do with universal truths."